


No Longer Young and Beautiful

by Xander_The_Undead



Category: Young Avengers
Genre: Aging, Basketball, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-13
Updated: 2014-01-13
Packaged: 2018-01-08 15:39:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,572
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1134436
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Xander_The_Undead/pseuds/Xander_The_Undead
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It wasn't like he didn't know that Billy was aging and he wasn't. Technically he was too, just not as fast.</p>
            </blockquote>





	No Longer Young and Beautiful

**Author's Note:**

  * For [caterpills](https://archiveofourown.org/users/caterpills/gifts).



> This is a very very late birthday present for the wonderful Caterpills! I'm so sorry it late honey! I hope you like it!
> 
> A huge thanks to my perfect Life-Partner, Dunmercusswords, for betaing and putting up with my whining.

 

 

_Will you still love me_

_When I'm no longer young and beautiful?_  
  
 _Will you still love me_  
  
 _When I got nothing but my aching soul?_  
  
 _I know you will, I know you will_  
  
 _I know that you will_  
  
 _Will you still love me when I'm no longer beautiful?_  
 _  
_- ** _Young and Beautiful by Lana Del Ray_**

****

****

**_  
_**

“Alright. It’s not hard, just watch.”

Teddy raised his arms above his head, the weight of the bumpy, orange ball a weird comfort, as he let it roll to the tips of his fingers. Then, with ease he pushed it off into the air. He watched it arc perfectly before it slid into the corded net with a soft _whoosh_ , not even touching the rim before dropping back down to the black asphalt.

“Yes! Nothing but net!” Teddy crowed and pumped his fist before turning back to his student, who was sprawled out on the tiny makeshift court, clearly not paying attention. Teddy felt a flash of annoyance and disappointment at the fact that no one had witnessed his truly fine skills, and made his way over to the body on the floor. He stood over the dark haired man, until Billy cracked one brown eye open and tilted his head best he could while lying on the ground.

“Hey, T.” He croaked quietly, his cheeks starting to turn from pink to red from being out in the hot July sun. “What’s up?”

“What’s up?” Teddy asked with pursed lips and moved into a crouch next to Billy. “What’s up is that my husband told me that we could do whatever I wanted to on our first Saturday off in weeks, but he’s being a real lame-ass about it and didn’t even watch when I sank a perfect basket.” Teddy typically wasn’t a show-off, but when he did something cool he really did like it when Billy saw it and thought he was the bees’ knees and everything.

But only Billy--when other people did it, it was just embarrassing.

Teddy rolled his eyes when his husband let out a loud put-upon groan and rolled over onto his stomach, the grey at Billy’s temples reflecting the light of the sun brightly. “Okay. When I said that, I was honestly thinking you would say we should stay indoors and be total slugs.” Billy admitted, arching his back slightly and causing his old Flash t-shirt to ride up a bit. Teddy refused to look at his husband’s perfect ass right now, he was so miffed.

“But,” Billy drawled on, continuing to stretch like a damn cat in the sun. “Instead, on our _day off_ from fighting super villains you want to go out on one of the hottest days ever and play _sports_. Even though your dear, loving husband is the wonderful age of forty-eight and pulled his back out just a month ago.”

Teddy could hear the sneer in his husband’s voice at that sentence and couldn’t help the small smile that tugged at his lips at Billy’s blatant hate that he was getting older. “Come on, it’s basketball.” He tried in his best pleading tone. “Basketball is cool.” At Billy’s unimpressed sigh, Teddy sat down cross-legged on the warm asphalt and poked at Billy’s back. “Okay, I’m confused. You used to love coming to my games and everything when we were in high school.” Teddy explained, blinking when Billy moved to turn on his side facing him.

“That was because I was in love with the Varsity captain and he would buy me tacos after each game.”

Teddy smiled when Billy wiggled his eyebrows and he reached over to cup Billy’s jaw, heart-warming when Billy instinctively turned into the touch, his thick salt and pepper beard scraping against Teddy’s palm. “You were such a taco whore back then.”

“Like you were much better when it came to strawberry milkshakes.”

Teddy chuckled and brushed his thumb against Billy’s thin bottom lip, cheeks warming when the tip of Billy’s tongue followed. Teddy could feel the hot sun on his back and he knew that if they didn’t put more sun screen on Billy, or go back inside, then he would have a lobster for a husband on his hands, but he couldn’t make himself break whatever moment they were having right now.

Billy let out a forced chuckle and moved his own hand to rest on the one cupping his jaw, glancing down at Teddy’s Nikes. “One of other professors at work saw your photo in my office, and she thought you were my nephew.” The laugh Billy let out was fake, and it made Teddy’s heart beat painfully to hear it. “When I told her that you were my husband her eyes got so wide and she laughed then called me a cradle robber.”

Teddy snorted. “I’m three months older than you.”

“Tell your genes that.”

When Teddy sighed, Billy sat up quickly and moved both his hands to hold Teddy’s face in them. “Shit. T, I didn’t mean it that way.” He never did, but that didn’t stop everyone from noticing or commenting on how slowly Teddy aged and how rapidly his husband seemed to be. Teddy closed his eyes and tried to focus on the warmth of Billy’s hands against his cheeks, and on the way he rested his forehead against Teddy’s, the smell of clean shower gel, mint shampoo, and sweat over powering his senses and calming him down.

It wasn’t like he didn’t know that Billy was aging and he wasn’t. Technically he was too, just not as fast.

He didn’t want a fact like that to keep them down, though; there was nothing they could do about it so why wallow in it? It was easier to ignore when they both were turning twenty-eight and Billy could still do everything Teddy could—stay up late, eat whatever they wanted, all night sex and then still go kick bad guy’s asses without a problem. Now that they were both close to the big five-O, Billy’s body had started to wind down. They had an earlier bedtime or else Billy would pass out on the couch, Teddy had to cook certain things differently and watch the fat in order to help Billy’s blood pressure, and the worst was how easily hurt Billy could get now.

Teddy still had not forgiven Wade for slamming Billy through that parking garage ‘accidently’. Thank god Billy’s healing knowledge had improved, and with a weak breath he’d wished himself to heal before passing out; Teddy had never flown so fast to a hospital before, Billy’s limp body clutched tightly against his chest.

He knew Billy would probably be the first to…

“T…?” Billy whispered. Teddy opened his eyes to look into those warm brown eyes he loved so much “I’m sorry I said that. It just slipped out.”

Teddy gave his husband a tired smile and reached up to tug on a strand of dark hair that had slipped out from Billy’s normally slicked back and neat look. _So different from when we met._

“I know. I know you didn’t.” He pressed a soft, reassuring kiss to Billy’s nose, causing the other to let out a worried whine.

“That’s one of the reasons I wish you’d let me shift to look my age. That way we wouldn’t get all those commen-Ow!” It didn’t really hurt so much as it surprised him when Billy cracked his forehead against Teddy’s, but it certainly shut him up, along with the displeased look Billy was giving him.

“How many times do I have to tell you? I don’t want you shifting for me in any way.” Billy huffed, and Teddy hated how his heart sped up at his husbands words. “I want _you_. The real you, even if it makes you look like a gold digger in the future.”

Teddy couldn’t help but laugh. “What gold? You’re a professor.”

“Oh gee, thanks.”

Billy smiled up at him, and Teddy could still see the sixteen year-old boy with whom he had fallen helplessly in love all those years ago. No matter how many wrinkles or gray hairs the years gave Billy, he was still so amazingly beautiful in Teddy’s eyes. “You’re welcome.”  Teddy joked, and leaned down to steal a soft kiss from Billy’s lips. “How about just one game, just one.” Teddy lowered his lashes and glanced at his husband through them, pulling his bottom lip between his teeth.

He heard Billy’s breath hitch.

“Then we can go home,” Teddy reached out an traced an invisible line over Billy’s bare calf— _thank you gym shorts_ —licking his lips when Billy inched a little closer. “Get into bed and…” Teddy grinned when Billy leaned in close, eyes wide and ready.

“And watch Netflix.”

Billy groaned loudly. “Fuck! Theodore Rufus Kaplan Altman, you truly know how to seduce a man.” Teddy laughed as Billy brushed invisible dust off of his thighs and held out a hand to him. “Now, help me up so you can whoop my butt at this game and we can go home and order pizza or something.”

Teddy grinned, standing and helping his husband up with ease. “This time we are getting three veggies on there, no more extra cheese. Don’t think that hiding your heart test results in the bread box is going to stop me from making you eat healthier.”

“Oh god, T. You’re the worst.”

“I love you too.”


End file.
